Tired (in a good way!) from having so much fun this week with playdates, park time, a parade, cooking together for friends, errands, library events (the one below was this afternoon at the Green Lake branch - a puppet show and concert called "Meet the Beetles")...
(I love how Matthew is such a protective, loving big brother! Check out his hand on Joel's shoulder. So sweet.)
Met some friends at a music and storytime event at the central library branch on Monday and really enjoyed the architecture, as did the Japanese tour groups walking through.
But really, the elevators were the main event...
I was chopping onions, garlic, and carrots for a (not completely traditional) bolognese sauce we're going to be slow cooking today, and Joel was helping toss in some herbs and spices. I had to run out to the garden for some Greek oregano and Joel said, "I'll just wait in here and eat some more tomato paste."
And he did.
Ferry from Fauntleroy terminal, West Seattle, near Lincoln Park...
...to Southworth on the Olympic Peninsula, then on to Manchester State Park...
A family farm near the state park has two camels, one of them a Bactrian from the Gobi Mountains named...Gobi!
Had snacks in Port Orchard and walked around the town, then home again on the ferry from Southworth...
Matthew, Joel, and I, waiting in the car while Stephen pumped gas...
Matthew: "Mom, Daddy is my best friend!"
Abigail: "Aw, that is so great!"
Matthew: "Joel, is Daddy your best friend?"
Joel: "Yeah!"
Matthew: "Mom, you're our best friend, too! We love you guys! We love you all the time!"
Joel: "Mom, I want a hug!"
Joel, this morning at breakfast: "Mom, I dreamed that you were my best mom!"
Joel, at lunch today, upon looking at a cup of carrot sticks: "I don't like carrots anymore. I like pretzels."
At Golden Gardens Beach this morning with some friends, we saw a lovely wooden boat go by and I commented on how it was made out of teak.
Matthew replied, "Yeah, it's an antique!"
Joel, looking at his feet: "These socks make me dizzy!"
Abigail: "Why do they make you dizzy?"
Joel: "Because I like them."
I guess this was about a month ago now, but you can see how popular the annual Greenwood Car Show is with us and the whole area...it was packed.
I'm pretty sure it was the first time for the beans to have corn dogs and they were a rousing success...not to be repeated too often.
Just a small sampling of the vehicles on display...
The 1960s Seattle Metro bus was back this year and the city's newest drivers each had a go...
Today's breaking news:
Expert (mama) decides 5-year-old's missing tooth has gone the way of the lunch pizza and senbei. Details at 11:00.
Matthew, at breakfast this morning, and completely out of the blue: "I don't want to go to an African desert because it has big sand storms." [Although he is completely obsessed with the Gobi Desert and would love to see it in winter with the Bactrian camels munching the snow.]
Joel: "I want to go to a...Whidbey Island."
Matthew, rubbing Joel's cheek with his finger: "Joel's got an ant on his face! Oh, it's already dead."
[It was actually an ink mark from when Joel had written some messages this afternoon. Most of the messages made it to paper but obviously not all.]
Abigail: "Matthew, did you tell Daddy about the biplane we saw yesterday?"
Stephen: "Oh, where did you see it?"
Matthew: "In the sky."
Stephen: "No, where were you?"
Matthew: "I was on the ground!"
Joel was under the weather (poor bean) but Matthew and I went out today for some fresh air and sunshine...
Matthew decided he wanted a "Daddy haircut" today, meaning Daddy cuts it and it's also like Daddy's own hairdo. The new summer look!
So here are a few Matthew comments about his own new hair after checking it out in a mirror:
"I look like a nice kid, don't I!"
"I want to go around to all the houses to show everybody my new haircut."
"I have little hair now!"
It was a bit of a misty day today and the snails were out in full force in our backyard. We spent quite a lot of time with them.
Matthew asked me to take a picture of their watering cans, which if you remember, are exactly like the ones they had in Japan. Thank goodness for Daiso in Seattle.
Quotes of the day...
Joel, when he found out I had to go the doctor (for something minor): "Mama, I want to go to the doctor with you so I can look after you."
Matthew: "What is snail poop called?"
Joel, as he saw me boiling some water in the kettle for tea: "Are you making me some couscous?" [He loves that stuff.]